ScubaTx - Saving More Lives, Giving Transplant Organs Air to Breath

** 问题 ** 器官移植是许多患有终末期器官衰竭的患者唯一可用的治疗方法。与标准治疗相比，移植可以延长预期寿命，提高生活质量并降低成本。NHS移植计划每年节省3亿英镑。移植团队超负荷工作，长时间不合群限制了员工招聘。不幸的是，捐赠器官的需求远远超过供应。最近的“选择退出”立法针对的是越来越多的捐赠者，但时间和物流是限制因素，再加上年龄较大/健康状况较差的捐赠者意味着许多器官无法使用因此，每年有超过11，000人死于等待挽救生命的移植。迫切需要维持供体器官质量的技术来解决这一短缺，挽救生命，并充分利用供体的礼物。问题根源 ** 许多器官不适合移植，因为标准护理器官保存（Icebox）无法将器官保存足够长的时间，以便于捐赠者和接受者之间的长途运输和物流。冰箱保存时间从3到12小时不等，取决于器官。低温和常温机器灌注设备能够保存某些器官类型（不包括胰腺）长达24小时。然而，在整个医疗系统中部署它们的成本令人望而却步，限制了它们的采用。此外，复杂性意味着它们需要额外的专用空间，以及已经不堪重负的移植团队的额外工作人员。**未满足的需求 ** 未满足的需求是在医疗保健系统的现实资源限制（人员、资金、物流和物理空间）内增强器官保存（改善器官状态、延长保存时间）。使用低温和常温灌注设备的研究表明，优化对器官脉管系统的氧气供应是改善24小时器官保存的关键因素。**创新解决方案 **ScubaTx利用Persufflation（气态氧灌注），这是一种经过验证但未得到充分利用的器官保存方法。ScubaTx以简单、便携、全自动、多器官、经济实惠的形式提供充气，这将使全球医疗保健系统得以广泛部署。ScubaTx的创新不是充气本身，而是受专利保护的自动化基本单元的实际体现，通过器官特定的消耗品提供充气，由应用程序监控。充气的关键优势是将氧气作为气体输送到器官，在最佳浓度/流量/压力水平下。我们的设备使用起来更简单，不需要额外的工作人员。我们将显著增加可用器官的可用性;为全球经济紧张的医疗系统降低成本并挽救生命。** ** 资金将加速卫生经济学，以及基础单元、器官特定消耗品和监测应用程序的详细设计和编程;为工业化和临床试验做好准备。基于现有原型的设计。这笔资金将使我们的技术更接近商业化和拯救生命。

**Problem**Organ transplantation is the only available treatment for many patients suffering end-stage organ-failure.Transplantation enables longer life-expectancy, improved quality-of-life and reduced costs, versus standard-of-care. NHS transplant programme saves \>£300M/year.Transplant teams are overworked, and long unsociable hours limits staff recruitment.Unfortunately, donor-organ demand far outstrips supply. Recent 'opt-out' legislation targeted increasing donor numbers, but time and logistics are limiting factors, coupled with older/less-healthy donors means many organs cannot be used (not-retrieved, not-transplanted).Therefore, over 11,000 die each year awaiting life-saving transplant.Technologies maintaining donor organ quality are urgently needed to address this shortfall, saving lives, and making the most of the donor's gift.**Root of Problem**Many organs are not suitable for transplantation due to inability of standard-of-care organ preservation (Icebox) to maintain organs long enough to facilitate long-distance transport and logistics between donors and recipients. Icebox preservation times range from 3 to 12 hours depending on organ.Hypothermic and Normothermic Machine Perfusion devices capable of preserving some organ types (not pancreas) for up to 24 hours exist. However, cost of deploying them across healthcare systems is prohibitive; limiting their adoption.Furthermore, complexity means they require additional dedicated space, and additional staff from already overstretched transplant teams.**Unmet Need**The unmet need is for enhanced organ preservation (improved organ status, longer preservation time) that works within healthcare systems' real-world resource constraints; people, money, logistics and physical space.Research using Hypothermic and Normothermic Perfusion devices shows that optimizing Oxygen supply to organ vasculature is the critical factor for improved organ preservation over 24-hours.**Innovative Solution**ScubaTx harnesses Persufflation (gaseous oxygen perfusion), a proven but under-utilised organ preservation method. ScubaTx delivers Persufflation in a simple, portable, fully-automated, multi-organ, affordable format that will enable widespread deployment across healthcare systems world-wide.ScubaTx innovation isn't persufflation itself, but patent-protected practical embodiment of an automated base-unit delivering persufflation via organ-specific consumables, monitored by app.Persufflations key advantage is delivering Oxygen to the organ as a gas, at the optimal concentration/flow/pressure levels. Our device is a lot simpler to use, and no need for additional staff.We will significantly increase availability of viable organs; lowering costs and saving lives for financially stretched healthcare systems worldwide.**Outputs**Funding will accelerate health economics, and detailed-design and programming of base-unit, organ-specific consumables and monitoring-app; ready for industrialisation and clinical trials. Designs based on existing prototypes.This funding will move our technology one step closer to commercialisation and saving lives.